Wrestling: Passion for hard work pays off for Bexley Lions’ Tarun Rai
Tarun Rai doesn’t shy away from hard work.
The 120-pound senior for the Bexley wrestling team has a 4.3 GPA, picks up shifts at Starbucks on the weekend and even enjoys the arduous work of practices more than meets.
“I like practices more because I work so much harder,” said Rai, who was 4-2 before competing Jan. 15 in the Licking Heights Invitational. “I work so much harder in practices, which last two, two and a half hours. I feel good when I’m tired. At matches, I feel exhausted after going six minutes (in a bout), but that just lasts for a couple of minutes.
“I feel like hard workouts calm my mind. After practice when I get home, I shower and then meditate and it helps me get my life in order.”
Coach Chris Bragg describes Rai as a “workaholic.”
“Whether it’s practice, academics or working at Starbucks, Tarun is always moving,” Bragg said. “He never really relaxes.”
Rai loves the peace of mind he gets from practices compared to the anxiety of sitting around and waiting to compete.
“I think it’s the long days of competition, because I tend to get nervous,” he said. “When I get nervous I don’t eat, and that makes it difficult over a long day. I’d say I get butterflies.
“When I’m on the mat, I don’t think. It’s me and my opponent. I feel like I’m in a different world.”
Rai competed at 106 as a freshman and was a Division II district alternate as a sophomore at 113. Last season, he was second-team all-league at 120 but missed the postseason because of an injury to his left ankle.
Despite being a lightweight wrestler, Rai also played football for the Lions as a wide receiver and defensive back. He battled through injuries this past fall with problems to that same ankle.
“As a freshman (wrestler), I injured both of my wrists and then missed a few weeks as a sophomore with a groin injury,” Rai said. “Then last year I had the ankle injury that kept me out of sectional, and then I re-injured it again twice in football. I was going through physical therapy to help that but now I’m just doing exercises on my own.
“That’s one of the things I like about wrestling, being with my teammates. We’re really close friends because wrestling is different than other sports. It’s a lot of work and there is a physical toll on your body. It’s good to have a team to help you with that experience.”
Bragg believes Rai has shown grit that has helped him to work through the pain.
“Tarun has dealt with wrist injuries and ankle injuries, and there’s always something bugging him,” Bragg said. “(His ankle) bugs him in practice, but he’s getting through it. He could have chosen to quit but he stuck with it, and that will help him in the long run.”
Rai has not made a college decision and does not plan to compete at the next level. He wants to find a school that will best help him reach his goal of going to medical school.
“Athletics has helped me to be a good student,” he said. “Being in sports gives me motivation and drive. I have a nagging voice in my head telling me to get my studies done, and that doing that will help with wrestling or any other sport.
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned from coach Bragg is discipline. He’s helped me balance my school and sports, and he’s helped me a lot personally. He helped me to be a good student as well as being an athlete.”
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Wrestling: Passion for hard work pays off for Bexley Lions’ Tarun Rai
